


Conferences

by Abyssinian



Series: Building a Life Together [3]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-11
Updated: 2015-07-20
Packaged: 2018-02-08 10:22:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 13,522
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1937256
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Abyssinian/pseuds/Abyssinian
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Derek and Stiles go to an Alpha Meeting in Chicago.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

"Soooo…? What's it gonna be like?" They were driving to the airport and Stiles was becoming restless and giddy.  
"Mostly incredibly boring. I'll have a lot of meetings and you can mingle with the other mates."  
"So I can do a little sightseeing? Wait I have to do that alone?"  
"You can do a LITTLE sightseeing. This is not just important for me, but for you too, to make valuable connections. And I'm pretty sure Katharine and Jason would be delighted to accompany you, if you go out. Maybe you make a few new friends as well."  
"I don't know." Stiles' mood was suddenly dampened. "You said I was a lot different from other mates. Way stronger than other humans, but weaker than wolves. How am I to connect with anybody that way?"  
"Katharine likes you and Jason gets sparkles in his eyes every time he sees you." Derek chuckled softly.  
"Jason doesn't understand it yet."  
"I think he is a better judge for these kinds of things than anybody else. He still relies mostly on his instincts and those told him that you were not just strong enough to protect, but also trustworthy."  
"You think so?"  
"Stiles, I know so." The werewolf squeezed his hand for a moment.

"Is anything on the agenda today?" The human asked, when the plane started its descent.  
"Just dinner tonight, where everybody meets and is introduced. It's mostly the same people, with few variations."  
"Which are?"  
"New alphas, as you can imagine, that doesn't happen all that often. New mates, also not that often. Mostly children, but they don't care." The alpha grinned cheekily.  
"Jason is a first timer too, right?"  
"Yes."  
"Hey, we can bond over that." Stiles grinned widely.  
"How do you think that will be going?"  
"Splendidly." He answered his mate enthusiastically.

"Wow. This is our hotel?"  
"Yes. The conference rooms are in the upper floors, gym and pool in the basement floors and a big pool area outside on the other side." He glanced over to the younger man. "How do you not know that already?"  
"I was busy." Stiles had been busy. Figuring out the details for their wedding. Though it would be small, his nag for those details had him changing things, adding and removing them as he saw necessary. Also his preparations for college were taking up time. He had thought about renting a flat for Lydia and himself, but rather opted for the dorm experience, at least for the first year. They could share an apartment later on.  
"Derek Hale." The werewolf told the receptionist.  
"Room 0531, fifth floor. Two room keys for you, Sir."  
"Thank you." Derek handed one of the key cards over to Stiles, while the young woman chattered down general information and handed him another piece of paper with their WiFi key and other information.  
When the doors of the elevator opened they stepped into a long corridor. After a few steps Stiles dropped his bag and smiled, when he saw a little blond boy suddenly running towards them. The human caught the child in his arms and righted himself.  
"Hey, little wolf." Jason immediately rubbed his face all over Stiles' neck.  
"Jason…" They heard Katharine yell after her son and Connor stepped into the hall, but stopped when he recognized them.  
"Derek and Stiles are here." He told his mate quietly, while the two younger men made their way to them. Derek had picked up Stiles' bag, continuing to check the numbers on the doors, theirs was still up ahead somewhere.  
They shook hands and Katharine hugged Stiles and took her son back.  
"You're here early." Connor observed. It was only two in the afternoon.  
"Yeah, the flight was on time and we got out good. You are, too." Derek answered with a smile.  
"We wanted to give Jason some time to get used to the new surroundings."  
"Understandable. Hey you wanna explore the hotel with us? We're just gonna put our bags away."  
"Stiles, I'm sure they…" Derek tried to stop his mate.  
"No, it's fine. We were about to do that anyway. You're welcome to accompany us." Katharine said.  
"Great. We just need to find our room." Stiles all but jumped ahead and stopped a few doors later. "Found it." He unnecessarily yelled back.  
"We'll get you in a few minutes. That okay?" Derek looked over at the other alpha.  
"Yeah, take your time."

"Oh my god, this room is huge." Stiles flung himself onto the large fluffy bed.  
Derek went to the bathroom to splash some cold water in his face and freshen up. He dried his face with one of the soft towels. When he looked up into the mirror Stiles was standing behind him.  
"Hey." The human laid his chin on the older man's shoulder and slid his arms around his middle.  
"Hi." Derek eyed his mate carefully. "Still nervous?" He covered the other's hands with his own.  
"Not as much." Stiles murmured into his ear.  
"Then come on. We don't want to let them wait."  
"One minute." He replied and shoved the wolf out of the bathroom.

The small group made their way through the hotel taking a look at the important areas, like the restaurant, the gym and indoor pool, before they sat down on one of the terraces overlooking the pools. The grownups got coffee and Jason a juice.  
"So, what's new?" Katharine asked lightly.  
"We…" Stiles glanced at Derek and pulled the envelope out of his hoodie pocket. "…have something for you." He handed it to the woman and watched her with anticipation. Katharine's eyes widened for a moment, then she smiled and handed the card to her husband.  
"Really?" Stiles nodded. "Of course we'll come."  
Connor agreed. "Yeah, definitely."  
"Great." The human beamed at them.  
"You can stay at the house, if you want." Derek offered.  
"That would be nice. You sure?"  
"Yeah, we have the room and it's save."  
"There's no-one else coming from out of town?"  
"Just my aunt and two cousins, but they are staying with my dad."  
"I'm assuming they don't know about…our nature?" The woman asked cautiously.  
"No, but outside this crazy bunch…" He pointed at Derek. "…my dad and I don't have any other family, so I invited them and you furries will behave yourselves."  
"When do we not?" Connor raised an eyebrow at him.  
"I'm sure you will, mostly anyway. My puppies are another matter entirely." They laughed freely. Even Jason giggled, not knowing why, though.  
"They can't be that bad." Katharine questioned.  
"Just wild at times. I can handle them." He glanced at his mate, who smirked. "Mostly." He conceded. Another round of laughter erupted. When they finished their drinks the Fletchers stood.  
"The little one needs a nap." The woman explained apologetically.  
"It's okay. We'll see you later." Derek smiled at them and waved at the toddler.  
When they were out of sight, Stiles turned back to his alpha. "I think I could use a nap, too."  
The older man merely nodded and took his hand, leading them back upstairs. Stiles kicked off his shoes as soon as they entered the room and continued to lose his jeans and dropped his hoodie, before he let himself fall onto the bed. He huffed out a deep sigh.  
"I hate flying." The alpha mate mumbled into his pillow, laying on his stomach.  
Derek slowly made his way over and straddled his thighs. "Why?"  
"It smells bad." He felt Derek's lips at the back of his neck and the light scratch of stubble.  
"You have to tune it out. Dull your senses."  
Stiles turned onto his back to face his lover. "When's the dinner start?"  
Derek glanced at the clock. "Two hours. You have some time."  
"Will you join me?" He reached one hand out to the wolf's face to cup his cheek.  
"For a little bit." He kissed his mate and sank to the bed beside him, rearranging his body, until he was spooning the boy.  
"Is there something I have to do or don't do tonight?"  
"Just…be yourself I guess. Maybe tread a little careful around the older alphas, some of them don't entirely approve of human mates."  
"How do I know which one's the alpha and which is the mate?"  
"It's obvious once you see them."  
"O-kay."  
"Believe me, you'll know. And the humans are easy to sniff out."  
"Me, too?"  
"You are still human." He pressed a kiss to the side of his neck. "Did you change your mind?"  
"No." The teen wiggled backwards into the larger body. "Do you have any other friends here?"  
"Jessica is kind of a friend. She's from New York."  
"You didn't want her to come to the wedding?" Stiles craned his neck to be able to see the wolf's face properly.  
"I didn't get close to anybody, while we were in New York. The connection to Jessica's pack gave us stability, but I wasn't in any position to appreciate that."  
"But you're better now. You have a pack. You have me."  
"She reminds me too much of Laura. She's nice and all, but I can't be that close to her."  
"It's okay." Stiles' left hand came up and cupped his lover's cheek, to pull him down into a deep kiss. He turned completely and buried his face in Derek's neck. A few deep breaths calmed him down and he settled into a light daze, breathing his mate's scent.  
Half an hour later Derek woke his fiancé up, with light caresses. They showered together and got dressed, recycling their prom attire from the week before. Nobody had to know and they looked great, so why not. Stiles stood in front of the mirror, tugging at his tie.  
"There is no need to be nervous." The older man whispered in his ear.  
Stiles hummed his reluctant agreement, before he grabbed the offered hand and twined their fingers. The dinner took place on the roof terrace. It was a beautiful evening and the view over the lake was incredible. Only when the tight grip on his hand loosened slightly, Derek noticed the change in his mate's demeanor. Stiles had schooled his features and straightened his posture. The alpha opened the door for them and let his mate pass first. It was five to six and more than half the attendees were already there. Most heads turned to the young alpha pair as they entered. An older man came towards them and Derek tilted his head slightly in greeting, when he stopped in front of them. The gray haired man looked directly into Stiles eyes and he too tilted his head respectfully.  
"So this is your elusive mate." He said with a warm smile.  
"Henry, this is Stiles. Stiles, this is Henry, one of the elders."  
"Hi."  
Derek had half expected a snarky comeback, but nothing came, just his greeting delivered in a firm steady tone of voice. A middle aged woman joined them and greeted them as well. In that manner they moved through the room.  
When Stiles noticed the Fletchers had come in he watched the little boy for a while. Jason looked at everybody with big blue eyes and clung to his father's leg. After a while a cluster of people had formed around the alphas from San Francisco. Derek and Stiles were chatting with Dorothy, the alpha from New Orleans and her mate Malik, when Stiles felt small fingers digging into his pant leg. He looked down with a surprised smile and then bent down to loosen the grip from the fabric and pick the boy up.  
"What is it little wolf?" He asked gently, in turning halfway, to see the mass of people around his parents. "Too many people, huh?" The child averted his gaze shyly and then buried his face in Stiles' neck.  
"Who's this?" Malik asked in reaching out, to pat the toddlers back, who turned his head and growled at the dark skinned alpha mate. "Wow."  
"Jason." Stiles implored quietly. "What does your mother say about growling in public?" And the little face was back at his neck, along with a small whine.  
"He is Connor and Katharine's son." Derek explained.  
By then almost everyone was present and another couple came to them. A big dark haired man, with a petite dark blonde woman, wearing too much make-up. Stiles mused that Derek had been right, it was very easy to tell who was the alpha and who was the mate, even from a distance. Derek was a little disturbed by how much his mate suppressed his usually warm and welcoming nature, with this calm and somewhat distant façade he was currently displaying.  
"Oh my god, isn't he the cutest." The woman squealed, which made everyone else in the group cringe, including Stiles, who leveled her with an icy stare, which froze her movement to touch Jason.  
"He is asleep." The teen said almost too quietly for the other human to here, already so used to never having to raise his voice.  
It seemed everyone was there then, because Henry cleared his throat and held a short to the point welcome speech and opened the buffet. The tables and food were under the roof, walled by windows on three sides, one of which was opened up.  
"I'm gonna go outside for a bit. Excuse me." Stiles announced and pecked Derek's lips, before he left. He found a quiet corner with a lounge chair. Jason let himself be rearranged easily into a more comfortable position. Stiles enjoyed the view of the lake for a while, until a tall woman stood herself close looking down at them. The teen fixed her with a hard stare.  
"You are Stiles, right?" She asked.  
"And you are?"  
"Jessica." The alpha extended her hand in greeting, which the boy shook gently.  
"Hi."  
The werewolf smiled. "Who's he?"  
"Jason." He stroked over the toddlers back. "Fletcher."  
"Oh, another newbie."  
"Yes, just like me."  
"Derek left you here, all by yourself?"  
"I needed a little breather. We both did."  
"He seems to be doing fine." Jessica grinned winningly.  
"I should probably give him back soon." As he finished his sentence Jason started to snuffle and wake slowly, blinking up at Stiles. "Hey." The child looked around a little confused and started to whimper. "It's okay we'll go find your mom." He got up quickly, hugging him close. "Sorry." The human smiled weakly and moved past her. It took him only a few seconds to locate Katharine at the same table Derek was sitting, with two other couples he hadn't met yet.  
"Look, there's your mommy." Jason immediately stretched his short arms out and was handed over to the young woman.  
"Did you have a nice nap with Stiles?" He nodded at his mother and then grabbed a fry to munch on.  
The human gave them a small smile and sat down beside his mate.  
"You want me to get you some food? You look a little pale." Derek offered.  
"Just a long day. I'll get some in a minute." He did down the whole glass of water beside Derek's plate though, before he stood back up and wandered over to the buffet.  
"So you're human, too?"  
Someone had sidled up to him while he filled his plate and Stiles recognized the woman's shrill voice. "You can't tell?" The teen eyed her a little surprised.  
"I've only been learning for a little over a year. I'm Nicole, by the way."  
"Stiles." He tried a small smile to ease her nervousness.  
"You must have been mated for awhile. Everyone says Hale was hiding you or something."  
"Uhm, not really. Almost two months now. And I just couldn't make it last time."  
"Oh." She blinked a few times. "So what's so special about you?"  
"Nothing." He told her flatly.  
That seemed to satisfy the young woman. "Hey, a few of us will be at the outdoor pool tomorrow, will you come?"  
"That's a nice idea. I'll make sure to come by." He smiled and made his way back to his own table.  
"Making new friends?" Derek smirked at him.  
Stiles shrugged. "I guess." And started eating.  
He had asked Katharine, if she wanted to go to the pool as well.  
"I wanted to do that anyway. Jason loves the water."  
"I remember." The human smiled fondly down at the child. "Hey Eve, do you want to come, too?"  
Eve Sanders was another alpha mate in her late thirties. "Sorry, I already made plans for tomorrow."  
Derek had vacated his seat some time ago and another man, Stiles guessed in his early thirties sat down beside him. The human looked up from his plate into dark chocolate brown eyes and a smiling face. While many of the male wolves packed quite a bulk of muscles, this one was on the leaner side like Stiles himself. "Uh, hi."  
"Paul." The wolf held his hand out, which Stiles grabbed.  
"Stiles." He raised his eyebrows at the man.  
"Jessica's mate."  
"Right, sorry."  
"Just wanted to say hello."  
Stiles glanced around and let his gaze settle back on the werewolf. "Am I the main attraction tonight?"  
"A little bit." Derek whispered into his ear and placed a light kiss to his temple. "Hi Paul."  
"Hey Derek. Just wanted to introduce myself."  
"That's what this dinner is for." The alpha started to gently knead Stiles' shoulders.  
Paul turned to his other side and looked at Katharine. "And who's this little one?"  
"Jason." The toddler looked at his mother's face at the sound of his name. He leant forward to sniff Paul's proffered hand, but turned away quickly from the strange scent.  
"Someone is picky who he makes friends with." Paul smirked at the woman.  
"He is." Connor agreed. Like on cue Jason crawled from his mother over onto his father's lap, farther away from Paul.  
"Well that was clear." The man leant back with a smirk on his face.  
"You got the nice treatment." Derek told him amusedly. "He growled at Malik earlier."  
"He did?" Connor lifted an eyebrow at Derek.  
"Kid needs his beauty sleep." Stiles piped in, which got him a round of laughter.  
Derek was relieved to see, that his mate slowly warmed up to the situation. The evening went smoothly and when it came to an end and the room emptied Derek and Stiles also made their way back to their room. Stiles once more discarded his clothes piece by piece as soon as the door closed behind them. He splayed himself on the bed naked, laying on his back. Derek wasn't a weak man, but he didn't pass invitations like that up either, so he removed his own clothing quickly to join the younger man.


	2. Chapter 2

After breakfast the next morning Stiles asked his mate to put some sunscreen on his back, before he had to leave for the meetings. The wolf slowly massaged the white cream into Stiles' pale skin, paying extra attention to the still protruding scars faded to a light pink and thinning considerably.  
"They will fade Derek."  
"I know." He let his flat hands run down Stiles' back once more and stepped back. "I have to go."  
The younger man turned and caught his hands, pulling him close. "I love you."  
Derek hummed, leaning forward the rest of the way, to kiss his mate. "See you tonight."  
"Yeah." Another press of lips and the alpha was gone.  
A few minutes later there was a knock on the door. "Come in." Stiles had just picked up a t-shirt to put on for the way through the hotel and had his back turned to the door.  
"Oh god." Katharine exclaimed quietly, not to alarm her son, who ran into the room and jumped onto the bed beside Stiles.  
"Hn?" The human turned around slowly, while ruffling the child's hair.  
"What happened?"  
Stiles looked over his shoulder not actually able to see his own back and then back at the woman.  
"Stray."  
"That looks deep."  
"It was." He pulled the shirt over his head. "But it's okay now."  
"You know there will be others down there. Mates and some of the kids, too."  
Stiles eyed her. "Is it considered weakness, that I got attacked?" He was suddenly concerned.  
"No." She touched his arm to reassure him. "God no. But everyone will see. We heal, but this will stay with you."  
"I'm aware. I can always pretend they are staring at my awesome tattoo."  
"Believe me, they will be staring at both. But they won't think Derek weak. You are committed to your mate, like one rarely sees in a human."  
"What do you mean?" Stiles was curious now.  
"You'll see. Come on."  
They each took one of Jason's small hands and the boy jumped to be swung every other step giggling with joy. They stopped by the pool to take a look around and found two empty deck chairs, where they put their towels.  
"I'll be right back." Stiles excused himself, but Jason waddled behind him. Katharine called her son back, but Stiles waved her off. "It's okay." He continued to walk slowly, so the child could follow. The curious pup stayed close to his leg, touching it, when he took a look around and pulled back to what was in front of him, when Stiles stopped.  
"Morning Nicole." He nodded towards the other four women he had met briefly the previous night. All human mates. There hadn't been any other male human's, Stiles figured it'd be hard for a man to be with such a powerful woman. But he also had the nagging feeling, these women had the idea he was a trophy of some kind.  
"What's with the little one? He always following you around?" A black haired woman in her forties asked him and Jason hid himself behind his leg.  
"He just likes me." Stiles smiled.  
"He's a werewolf." A dark skinned woman said, Daria he thought.  
"Really? I hadn't noticed." He said innocently.  
"You'll learn in time." Daria told him.  
"How long?" His face now serious.  
"Took me about two years to refine my senses."  
"Two years is a long time." Still innocent.  
"Don't play with your food, Stiles." Katharine said from the other side of the pool in a low voice.  
He couldn't help himself and snorted loudly, barely keeping his laughter in check, while the women looked confused. "I am so sorry, Katharine just…" He pulled his lips into a thin line, eyes still sparkling with mirth.  
The five human mates gaped first at him, then looked around until they saw the werewolf about fifty yards away looking back at them.  
"She said something to you?" Nicole had furrowed her brows.  
"She did." He eyed them one by one. "None of you heard that?"  
They shook their heads, dumbstruck. "Look, sorry, but I don't think we are gonna be friends, because, correct me if I'm wrong here, I'm under the impression you think I'm some kind of trophy wife." Four out of five had a guilty look flashing across their faces. "Well, I'm not." He told them with a satisfied smirk.  
"I will give you a cookie, if you put them out of their misery." Katharine pleaded.  
"Fine." He said under his breath and pulled his t-shirt off, which he dropped over the toddlers head, who made an adorable distressed whining noise, trying to get it off his head. Stiles chuckled and bent over to pick him up and remove the fabric. When he turned the other human mates gasped shocked.  
"You owe us cookies." Stiles demanded, when he arrived at his seat.  
"I said I give you a cookie."  
"I'm a sharer." The wolf laughed. "Okay, I'm a spoiled only child. But I would give him a crumb."  
Katharine laughed even harder and he joined in.  
"Hey Paul." The woman said over Stiles' shoulder with a smile, while she rooted around her bag and handed a cookie to her son and Stiles each.  
"Hi. Who do we have here?"  
"Michael and Joanna."  
"I'm Stiles." He smiled at the four-year-old twins.  
They giggled and hid behind their father, but came back out quickly to take a look and a sniff at the younger child, apparently intrigued by the blond curls. Michael eyed them and Joanna touched them carefully, while Jason waited in wonder what would happen.  
"Nice ink." Paul told Stiles.  
The human studied his face for a second, searching for insincerity, which wasn't there. "Thanks." He took a deep breath. "Hi Malik."  
Dorothy's mate had been twenty yards away, coming over stealthily. "Damn." He came the rest of the way, dragging a chair with him, to sit closer. Stiles smiled at him.  
"Does any of you think I'm a trophy?"  
"No, why would we think that?" Malik turned his dark eyes to him.  
"They do." Stiles made a minute head movement across the pool. "Except for the black haired girl. Who is that? I didn't meet her yesterday."  
"Mindy. She's Jared's mate. Both pretty new. Last time was her first and I guess she stuck to them, because they are familiar." Malik explained.  
"Why would they even think I was a trophy?" Stiles was confused.  
"Derek is a Hale. Doesn't get much more prestigious than that. Guess he was pretty annoyed with the offers, too."  
"He never said anything."  
"He was really pissed last time. I mean he announced he had a mate and still an offer was made."  
"They think he took me to shut them up."  
"Pretty much." Paul nodded.  
"Does everybody think that?"  
"A few. It was kinda important that you came."  
"I'm here. What do I have to do?"  
"You're already doing it." Katharine assured him. "Networking with other packs, showing your commitment."  
"Yeah, that tattoo is pretty heavy on the commitment." Malik told him.  
"I didn't get that for fun." He leant back on his chair and Jason crawled over his stomach sideways, dangling his arms and legs in the air.  
"Sorry, I wasn't implying you did."  
Stiles raked his hands through his hair and pulled them over his face. "This is a fucking circus." He glanced at the parents. "Sorry."  
"It gets easier." Malik tried a smile. "They don't know you yet…"  
At that moment Stiles' phone rang, which he answered with a sigh. "What?"  
"I'm late." Erica said slightly panicked.  
"For what?"  
"I'm late." Her voice increased in panic.  
He let that sit for a second, before it clicked. "Oh."  
"Yeah." She said exasperated.  
"How late?"  
"Mom." She whined loudly.  
"Well?"  
"A week."  
"Go to the pharmacy, get a test."  
"Mom." Louder this time.  
"Send Boyd then. It's his fault anyway." He sighed again. "Or tell Lydia. Okay?"  
"Thanks, mom." She said meekly and hung up.  
"One day out of town…" He said defeated.  
Paul eyed him curiously. "Can we circle back to the mom part?"  
"All Derek's fault, but it's fine." He just waved them off.  
"Aren't you and the betas all the same age?"  
"Yes." Stiles narrowed his eyes at the older man. "So?"  
"No, it's just different."  
"They are all turned, unlike most of you and your betas." He tickled Jason's sides, when he got fussy and squirmed under Stiles' hands. "I take care of them, I thought that's what I'm supposed to do."  
"It is, Stiles." Katharine smiled at him, with her son. "And again, you don't usually see that in human mates, much less someone so young. You have been with Derek a year, mated for a few months and you have a handle on your pack like few of us do. If anything you are doing great."  
"Still, everybody is judging me."  
"Not everybody."  
Stiles' head whipped around to stare up at a woman with hip long blond hair and warm brown eyes. She was about thirty-five, short and thin. The human instinctively pulled Jason to his chest. She smiled down on Stiles, while the others stared at her and he could literally sense her power.  
"Sorry to interrupt, Kyle and I just came in." Still smiling she extended her hand. "Hi Stiles, I'm Esther."  
"Hi." He blinked a couple of times.  
"You usually don't hang out with the likes of us." Malik said cautiously.  
"Gotta say hello to the new guy." Esther answered chipper.  
"Oh please, you're only here because he's a Hale." Katharine was less cautious.  
"Had to see, what all the fuss is about."  
"Well, you've seen." Stiles narrowed his eyes. "Just another puny human."  
"You're selling yourself short."  
The human had relaxed back into his chair, letting Jason play with his hands. "Am I?" His still narrowed eyes flashed a brilliant crimson for a moment. Paul and Malik gaped and Esther smirked.  
"You are."  
"We're kinda busy here…" Stiles tried to gesture around, but the toddler in his lap was still clutching his fingers. "So, if you don't mind." His grin and the glint in his amber eyes were equally evil.  
Esther's eyes went wide and she retreated slowly retaining her dignity. When she was out of earshot, Malik turned on him. "Are you nuts? She's a McManus. They are an even bigger deal than the Hales."  
"And I'm supposed to crawl because of it?" Stiles lifted an inquisitive eyebrow at him.  
"Apparently not."  
"Also Derek told me to network, not who's ass I should be kissing."  
"Esther is kind of a big deal."  
"Again, am I supposed to shiver in submission to someone I don't even know? Not my style."  
"You are trouble." Paul entered the conversation.  
"You say that like it's a bad thing."  
"Not sure it's a good thing yet." The older man admitted.  
"Well, decide for yourself." Stiles smiled at him.  
"I've never seen her scared." Katharine said quietly. "And I've known her half my life."  
Stiles wandered, why Esther would be afraid of him. He was human after all, no match for most wolves. Though he didn't voice his musings and just shrugged it off.  
The twins were playing in a flat pool nearby, their father having a watchful eye on them at all times. Jason remained sitting on Stiles, playing with him, showing little interest in the older kids. After they had eaten sandwiches for lunch, Katharine had taken her son to the water to play with him there and leave Stiles alone for awhile. He had pulled his shirt from under his head over his face to block out the sun and had been happily dozing, when his phone rang again.  
"Yeah?"  
"You okay, son?"  
"Yeah, just chilling at the pool."  
"How is it?"  
"Definitely requires getting used to."  
"They treating you okay?"  
"Nothing I can't handle, dad." He hadn't removed the shirt from his face. "Derek's here. Seems they do take breaks."  
A few seconds later the alpha was there, leaning close. "Hi John."  
"Hello Derek. Talk to you later, Stiles. Bye."  
"Bye dad." He put his phone down and slowly removed the fabric from his face. "Hi honey."  
Instead of answering Derek captured his lips. He sat down at the edge of the chair, letting his hands roam the plains of Stiles torso for a minute.  
"Hey." The wolf breathed against Stiles' lips.  
"They do let you out, huh?"  
"Just to grab a bite." Derek grinned at him.  
"Right." The teen lifted a questioning eyebrow. "I think they meant food. Not a bite of your mate."  
"You sure?" He nipped at the younger's smooth jaw.  
"Don't be a tease. We're in public." He had noticed Jason waddling over to say hi. "And there are children."  
Derek turned his head with a smile. "Hi Jason." The boy smiled back brightly, eyeing the alpha shyly from under his long golden lashes.  
"Oh my god, he has a crush on you." Stiles exclaimed with a happy laugh. "Well, who wouldn't."  
Jason got distracted by the twins and wandered back over to the shallow water.  
"Stiles." The alpha sighed and searched his mate's eyes.  
"Sorry. They…" He started.  
"They?" Apparently there was more than he had heard yet.  
"Uhm, what are you referring to?"  
"Esther. What did you do to accomplish that?"  
"Being my charming self." He tried for innocence, failing miserably on purpose.  
"What else?"  
"Oh it seems at least half the people here think I'm a trophy wife."  
"Who?"  
"You mean beside Esther? My dear fellow human mates. Not sure about one of them. To be determined later. Maybe I will make another friend after all."  
"Who did you manage to get on the dark side so far?"  
"Katharine, but you know that. Paul and Malik."  
"Could you by some miracle manage to not make any more not-friends until dinner?"  
"I'll try. I hope you didn't apologize on my behalf."  
Derek snorted amused. "You did this, you deal with the fallout."  
"That's my Sourwolf." Stiles smiled and kissed him.  
The werewolf stroked his thumb back and forth along Stiles' cheekbone a few times. "I gotta go, if I want to eat something before we continue. Just wanted to check on you."  
"I'm fine. Go." He pecked a quick kiss to Derek's lips and gently pushed at his chest.

"Hey, can you watch my stuff for a moment? I have to go up to my room for a minute."  
"Yeah, sure." Katharine nodded.  
"Thanks." He pulled his t-shirt on and made his way through the hotel. He sighed, when the door clicked shut and began dialing his phone. It rang twice, before Lydia picked up.  
"Hi, Stiles." Her voice was flat and relaxed.  
"Did Erica come to you?"  
"Crisis averted, don't worry."  
"So no baby wolves in sight?"  
"Definitely not. Just Erica panicking."  
"Thank you."  
"It's my pack, too, you know."  
"Yeah, I know."  
"How is it?" The girl asked softly.  
"Weird."  
"Good weird or bad weird?"  
"Just…weird." He sighed heavily. "Some of them think Derek took me as a trophy to show around and shut them up, about not being mated. Fucking circus."  
"Are YOU about to shut them up?" She knew him too well.  
"Most definitely."  
"That's my boy."  
"You bet. Apparently I unknowingly started with the top bitch. So I'm headed in the right direction."  
"Good for you. And don't worry about us, I can handle the puppies for a few days."  
"Thank you." A knock on the door caught his attention. "There's someone at the door." He wandered the few yards and opened it. "Uh, hi."  
The young woman in front of him looked insecure. "Hi."  
"Let me call you back later, Lyds."  
"Okay. Bye."  
"Bye." He pocketed his phone and gestured the other human inside. "What can I do for you?" He asked tentatively.  
"Can we talk?"  
"I assumed, that's why you were here." He lifted a questioning eyebrow.  
She stood a little awkwardly in the middle of the room, actively avoiding eying the bed. "Yes."  
"So…?"  
"Can you teach me?" Huge blue eyes with green speckles stared up at him.  
"Teach you what?" Stiles' face scrunched up in confusion.  
"To control my senses, how to focus them. I know the others don't think much of you and just want you in their corner because you're human."  
"Well, they don't know how to play their cards. And they're kinda rude. And since I got the fancy wolf stuff I have a little bit of a short temper at times." He eyed her for a moment. "You can hear my heartbeat right."  
"I…can." She hesitated. "I was able to develop my senses a little and last time…" She took a deep breath. "The other humans are nowhere near as sensitive and they are acting like it's okay to fully depend on their mates." The woman shook her head lightly. "You are so much more."  
"I take that as a compliment." He sighed. "But Mindy, I don't know how I can help you."  
"I have problems focusing. My senses are a lot better than the other humans, but nowhere near what yours apparently are."  
"That is not learned, that's hereditary. Seems it's a Hale thing. I'm merely learning to control it." He watched her features crumble a little. "Come sightseeing with me tomorrow. I'll try to help you."  
"Okay, thank you." She moved for the door.  
"One other thing." Mindy turned back to face him. "Way easier to get the hang of it, if you hang out with wolves more."  
"Jared always says I should be careful around them." She looked a little embarrassed.  
"I never was."  
"That what happened to your back?"  
"No." He looked right into her eyes. "Be in the entrance hall tomorrow morning at nine."  
"Okay." She gave him a shy smile and left.

Stiles spent another two hours at the pool, mostly playing with Jason.  
"You two up for some sightseeing tomorrow?" He asked Katharine.  
"Sure. When do you wanna start?"  
"Nine."  
"Pick you up?"  
"Yeah, sure." He glanced at the time on his phone. "I see you at dinner or tomorrow morning." He smiled at Katharine and ruffled Jason's hair.  
"Okay, see you."

Stiles had been standing under the spray of the warm water for a while, when he felt a big hand slide from his side to his stomach and settle there. A stubbly chin dragged over his shoulder and soft lips pressed to his jaw.  
"Hey babe."  
The human instantly leant back into the larger man's body, letting his head fall onto Derek's shoulder and exhaled long and slow. With another deep breath he turned his face into his mate.  
"I love you." He whispered.  
"Mmh."  
"Derek…"  
"Hm?"  
"How long do we have?"  
"Long enough." The werewolf murmured into his ear and let his hands wander south.  
As it turned out, plenty of time for all sorts of pleasurable activities, which left them quietly humming, when they made their way to dinner. There were only three unmated alphas and now he understood better what it must have been like for Derek, before they were mated. Stiles concentrated on one of them, a young man, slightly older than Derek, who sat in hearing distance and was approached by two other alphas, during the span of his meal.  
"Did you make plans for tomorrow?"  
"Some sightseeing."  
"Katharine and Jason coming with you?"  
"Yeah." He nodded.  
"Anybody else?"  
"Mindy?" He eyed his fiancé carefully, but the older man just nodded slowly. Derek had guessed, that the maybe friend would be the young dark haired woman.

"Was it like that for you?" Stiles pulled the comforter back, to crawl under the thin sheet.  
"What?" His mate had just applied toothpaste to his toothbrush and put it into his mouth.  
"For lack of a better word, the matchmaking."  
Derek finished brushing his teeth, before he came out and answered. "Pretty much." The werewolf sat down on the edge of the bed on Stiles' side. "When they got insistent I choose a mate, I already had you." He sighed. "But having a secret boyfriend and actually being mated isn't the same."  
"Good thing we are now." Stiles smiled brightly. "Be honest. Are there gonna be any repercussions for what I did today? Paul was pretty flattened, I told Esther to go away."  
"No. You just rarely see anybody, okay any other mate, stand up to her and not take her crap."  
Stiles let his right index finger travel up Derek's abs and splayed his hand over his heart.  
"That is my favorite sound…" The teenager mused absentmindedly.  
"What is?" The werewolf asked softly.  
"Your heartbeat."  
Derek covered the smaller hand with his own, smiling down at him. "Now you know, why I didn't wake up, when your dad came to wake you."  
"Yeah." Stiles brushed his thumb across the smooth skin under his hand. He scooted back and pulled Derek down beside him, pushing his face into the older man's chest. "Erica had a little scare today." He quietly said into his skin.  
"Should I be worried?"  
"No. She just panicked because her period was late. I sent her to Lydia, but everything is fine, no further puppies in sight."  
"Would that be so bad?" Derek asked carefully.  
"No…" Stiles leant back to be able to see the other's face. "You do want kids, admit it."  
"I never said I didn't." He replied defensively. "You said, not for a couple of years."  
"We have time Derek. If possible we all should finish college before we expand the pack with kids." He sighed. "And again, no it wouldn't be bad, but it would very likely keep Erica from going to college." The teen studied the alpha's face for a moment. "We are all barely eighteen, we can wait at least until we finish school."  
"I know." He looked away a little ashamed.  
"This I will not give in on. I'm marrying you, because you kind of asked, although I would have been fine waiting with that as well. And before you freak out, I want it too, otherwise I wouldn't do it, you know that." He had started stroking Derek's face. "You know that, right?" Stiles asked a lot softer now, seeing the sudden uncertainty in his mate's features. The wolf nodded slowly, once. He pulled Stiles' head back against his chest, hugging it with both arms. Stiles heard a low whine emitted from his throat.  
"Don't shift here." The boy told him gently with a soft kiss to the skin in front of his face. He tilted it up to kiss the underside of Derek's jaw. "I love you." Another open mouthed lazy kiss. "So much."  
The wolf whined again, incapable of answering with words, while his mate continued nipping along his jaw line. He pushed himself upwards on his elbow, swung one leg across the older man's hips and pushed him onto his back with his weight. Stiles looked down at his mate, letting his gaze roam over the plains of his torso.  
"Sometimes I still can't believe I get to have this for the rest of my life."  
"Have what?" Derek asked softly, completely unmoving under the teen.  
"You."  
"I couldn't resist you." A small smile graced the wolf's lips.  
Stiles took a deep breath to say something, but Derek stopped him. "You deserve everything you have and so much more. I'm still not sure what you are doing with me, though."  
"Couldn't resist you either." The human smirked and leant down to kiss his mate. A content sigh escaped his lips when he stretched out on top of the werewolf and drifted off to sleep


	3. Chapter 3

A few minutes before nine Katharine and Jason picked Stiles up and they went downstairs. The human looked around in the entrance hall.  
"Are you looking for something?" The woman inquired.  
"Someone." Stiles clarified.  
"Who?"  
"Hi Mindy."  
Katharine turned towards the younger woman coming up behind her. "She's coming?"  
"Yes. I hope that is okay."  
The werewolf sized him up for a moment, then nodded.  
"Hi." Mindy greeted them shyly.  
Jason eyed her from behind his mother's leg, holding onto it with both hands. "Hey." Katharine acknowledged her. "Where are we going first?" She asked the young man beside her, when the other human stood with them.  
"Willis Tower?" He looked first at the wolf then at the other human.  
"Sounds good."  
"Yeah, we can walk there, right?" Katharine glanced at her son.  
"Shouldn't be a problem." Stiles smiled and they left for their first destination.

The first talking point of the day was the increase of omegas at the west coast, especially in California. Henry's gaze wandered to Derek.  
"Connor told me your mate was attacked."  
Derek's features remained neutral. "Two weeks ago. Before that a few passed through the territory."  
"Connor?"  
Connor shrugged. "It's San Francisco. There are a lot of out of town people. Some just passing through, some for longer. But very little troublemakers."  
"Sebastian?"  
"Little trouble, but definitely more strays, than there used to be."  
During another short break Henry approached Derek in the hall.  
"Was Stiles injured?" The older man asked tentatively.  
"Four deep gashes across the left side of his back."  
"He seemed okay."  
"He healed nicely. The scars are still a little tender."  
"I don't want to be presumptuous, but can I take a look?"  
"Should be fine. After dinner." Derek nodded at the elder.

They were sitting on a bench on a promenade along the lake, eating their lunch, when Stiles breached the reason for Mindy being there.  
"Okay, we start easy." He smiled at her. "What's on my very impressive sandwich? Without looking of course." He hid his food from her sight and let the woman tell him every ingredient. They continued with the food of the others and moved on to the other senses. By the end of the afternoon the young woman was far more confident in her abilities and how she could further improve them.  
They were almost back at the hotel, when Stiles addressed Mindy's concerns about being around the wolves. "Mindy." She turned to him. "Jared is right, they are dangerous. But those who have been werewolves long enough and are in control, won't hurt you by accident. Even when they play rough."  
She eyed him warily. "You sure?"  
"You can trust me on that."  
Katharine nodded on the other side. "It shouldn't be a problem. But you don't actually train with them, right?"  
"No, but Jared wants me to be careful around the pack members in general."  
Stiles furrowed his brows a little. "I don't want to assume what your relationship with your mate is like, but you should probably talk to him about that. It is your job to be around them, otherwise they won't respect you and won't follow your lead when Jared isn't there." He glanced at the wolf beside him for confirmation and saw her nod again.  
"I never thought about it like that." Mindy admitted meekly.  
"Maybe you should start. It's important. At least that's my opinion." He lifted Jason up into his arms who had held onto his hand and had started to stumble behind a little. "Also just my opinion, you're not just his wife, you are his partner in leading the pack, his support. You should be the one he turns to, when there is a problem."  
"Isn't that the job of his lead beta?"  
"No!" Both Stiles and Katharine said decisively.  
Mindy looked insecure and Stiles sighed. "I'm a lot stronger than other human mates, but I don't think that should make much of a difference. You are the alpha mate, every beta is below you in rank, they should respect that. I know mine do." Stiles glanced at Katharine again. "I'm also well aware, that I've been doing this for like five minutes. Maybe it's because my mate is a born wolf, I don't know. Jared and most of your betas are turned, right?"  
"Yes. We have two born wolves, but they were omegas, when they joined our pack. The integration wasn't easy."  
"But they are good now?" Katharine asked.  
"Yeah."  
"Ask them, about anything. If they grew up in a functioning pack, they should know a lot."  
"Okay." She turned to them in the entrance hall. "Thank you."  
“Anytime.” Stiles smiled warmly.  
They had taken the elevator and Mindy had left them one floor below theirs. Stiles was still carrying Jason and let him down when they exited the elevator and let him run ahead.  
“Do you have plans for tomorrow?” The wolf asked casually.  
“No. You?”  
“I have a few options. I can tell you, when I made a decision and you can decide, if you wanna come.”  
“Sounds good. See you.” He continued his way to his room and opened the door with his keycard. Stiles shed his clothes in a small pile beside the bed and wandered into the bathroom to run himself a bath to soak for a while. His muscles felt a little sore and he wanted to relax before they would go to dinner. Soft music was playing from the stereo in the main room and his addled brain barely registered the door opening and falling shut again. Derek had only rid himself of his shoes and padded silently into the bathroom, where he sat on the edge of the tub.  
“A bubble bath?” Amusement was clear in the alpha's voice and Stiles opened his eyes slowly to look at him.  
“Why not?” He smiled dopily. “It's nice. You should come in.”  
Derek looked at him for a while, fond smile still on his face. “Okay.” He stood and dropped his clothes carelessly on the tile floor. “Where do you want me?”  
The teen thought for a second then scooted forward a bit to make room behind himself. Derek easily slipped in and arranged his legs around his mate to make room in the V of his legs, so the boy could lean back into his chest. Stiles sighed when his back made contact with Derek's skin and the wolf's arms came around and he lightly scratched at his stomach.  
“How was your day?” Derek asked quietly beside his ear.  
“Good. I think we could really help Mindy.”  
“That's good to hear.”  
“I don't know, if I maybe overstepped, though.”  
“How so?”  
“Jared is kind of keeping her away from the wolves and I told her that it's vital that she is around them. I mean, I wouldn't be able to handle the puppies, if I didn't interact with them.”  
“Well, I don't know why he does it, but he seems to be a good guy.”  
“What if I made a mistake.” Stiles played with the bubbles between his hands.  
“I'm sure you didn't and Katharine would have said something, if she thought you were wrong.”  
“Yeah, probably.” Stiles twisted his body half around to be able to reach Derek's lips with his own and kiss him at length, until they were both breathless. He turned the rest of the way smiling up at his mate.  
"What are you talking about all day in your meetings?"  
Derek shrugged. "Different things concerning pack relations and individual packs."  
"And today?"  
"The rogue problem we have on the west coast." His hand gently stroked along the raised edges of the four scars.  
"We have a problem? I thought…I don't know what I thought, but I didn't think we had a real problem there."  
"We do. There are much more strays coming through our territory and others' than there should be."  
"Why didn't you tell me?" Stiles frowned up at him.  
"I didn't think it was this serious, until it came up today."  
"Oh."  
"Stiles." Derek looked at the ceiling closing his eyes for a moment, before he locked eyes with the teen again. "Henry wants to take a look at your back."  
Stiles tilted his head slightly and furrowed his brows. "Why?"  
"Because you are special. Most others probably would have almost died from a wound like that."  
"Okay." He nodded and kissed Derek again. Shorter this time, then stood up in the tub and got out. He took a towel from the hanger and pressed it to his face, to dry it off, then let it sink, when he noticed Derek's gaze roaming his body.  
"Derek?"  
"Just admiring the view." The wolf stretched his arm out, to let his fingertip run down Stiles' thigh.  
Stiles looked down, then lifted his eyes to Derek's. "What's up with you?" He took a step closer and Derek reached his hand around his thigh. The hand slid up a few inches towards Stiles' crotch.  
"I don't think Henry would appreciate the smell of sex when he comes by."  
The alpha lifted his head, while worrying his bottom lip with his teeth. He had an innocent puppy expression on his face. "Seriously, Derek?" The boy bent down to capture his fiancé's lips, only to have the hand on his thigh ride up even higher. Stiles gently took the hand away from his leg.  
"Can we order room service? I don't feel like going downstairs."  
Derek blinked at the sudden change of subject and nodded absentmindedly. "Yeah, sure. Go ahead."  
He was just taking his towel off the rack to dry off, when he heard the knock on the door, indicating their food had arrived. Derek put on some sweatpants and joined his mate in the main room, just as the young man who brought the food was leaving. He also caught the look the man was shooting his way before the door closed shut again, leaving them alone again.  
"What are we having?"  
"Burgers."  
"Sounds good."  
Henry knocked an hour later and Derek went to let him in, while the human slowly pulled himself from the bed, where he'd been dozing. Stiles groaned, as he sat on the edge of the bed dragging his hands over his face.  
"Am I interrupting?" The older alpha asked hesitantly.  
"No, just been napping. It's fine." Stiles stood and turned his back, arms spread.  
Henry kept his facial expression neutral, taking in the sight of the long marks across the human's back to the left of his spine. He stepped closer to inspect the edges.  
"How long ago did you say this happened?"  
"Two weeks ago." Stiles answered.  
Henry glanced at Derek. "That is impossible. This is completely healed."  
"As you can see, it is." Stiles told him.  
"How? Something like this should have taken weeks, if someone was to survive it."  
The human turned to face Henry. "Really amazing health care." He grinned from ear to ear, while Derek just shook his head at him.  
"I'm serious, Stiles."  
The teen schooled his features. "So am I. I'm not half werewolf for nothing. Has to have an upside."  
"But you did this willingly. You love Derek."  
"Doesn't change the fact that I never wanted to be a werewolf. Still don't." He gestured down his body. "This came with the title. And apparently being a Hale means something different, than any other family one could marry into."  
"It would seem so. What else, beside the healing?"  
"All my senses, my eyes, anger."  
"Your eyes?" In answer Stiles let them change to glowing red. "I've never seen a human mate able to do that."  
Stiles merely shrugged and let his eyes fade to their usual warm amber color. He grabbed a t-shirt from one of the chairs and pulled it on. "Why did you want to see the scar, anyway? It's a scar, nothing unusual about it. Apart from the size maybe."  
"That healed in a matter of days, not weeks like it should have. That is very unusual."  
"Well, I can't explain it. It's Derek's fault. I only know that one of his aunts was the same."  
"Elisabeth?"  
"Yes." Derek nodded.  
"I never knew that."  
Derek shrugged and took a bottle of water out of the fridge. "I didn't know this would happen to him, Peter apparently had a notion it could."  
Henry let his gaze flicker between the two young men. He thanked Stiles and wished them a pleasant night, before he retreated to his own room.  
"Is he gonna blab about this?" The human asked his mate.  
"I don't think so. But you showed Esther your eyes. She's likely to talk."  
Stiles huffed out a sigh and rubbed one hand over his face. "Oh, fuck it. I don't care." His outburst was accompanied by a wild flail of his arms. "We're going home in two days anyway."  
"Babe."  
"Hmm?"  
Derek came closer and caressed his mate's cheek with his fingertips. "You are doing great. Better than I ever expected."  
"Your confidence in me is overwhelming." Stiles commented drily.  
"That's not…I didn't mean it like that. Most of them accept you. You even made some friends."  
"You didn't think they would accept me?"  
"I had some concerns."  
"Why? I'm not the first human mate and surely not the first male one to a male alpha."  
"No. I don't know. You're much younger than is usual. And after the crap they gave me for not having a mate…" The wolf looked at his feet a little bit ashamed.  
Stiles lifted his chin with a finger forcing Derek to look at him. He let his gaze flit across the older man's face for a moment, before closing the distance between them and kissing him softly. Derek soon deepened the kiss and closed his arms tight around the teens waist. Stiles' arms slid around his mate's neck and he lifted one leg to Derek's hip and with a little push the other one. The wolf had anticipated the familiar move, so he didn't lose his balance. Stiles pushed himself up further on Derek's shoulders and bent his head down in order to keep kissing his fiancé. A sigh escaped his throat into Derek's mouth as he pulled his tongue back and closed his mouth a little. Both their breathing was labored. Stiles repeatedly nipped at the wolf's upper lip, which made him rumble low in his throat.  
"I love you." Stiles whispered against his lips.  
Derek hummed his approval realigning their lips in another messy kiss, while moving them to the bed and dropping them there, Derek perfectly fitting between Stiles' legs. The teen slowed and ended the kiss after a while. He nudged their noses together, then looked into his pale eyes. Derek in turn tilted his head to the side in question and raised one eyebrow. Suddenly Stiles broke into a fit of laughter, his whole body shaking with the loud barks escaping his mouth. Derek frowned at his mate and waited until he calmed down, only to have him start snickering.  
"What?" The alpha finally asked.  
"You look like a puppy."  
Derek's expression darkened somewhat. "Seriously?"  
Stiles took his face in his hands. "I'm sorry." Another giggle. "It's adorable."  
The wolf hung his head and huffed out a short breath. "You really know how to kill the mood." He moved off the younger man and flopped on his back on his side of the bed.  
Stiles rolled onto his side and looked at his mate. "Come on, I'm sorry." He sighed. "I'm never calling you adorable again."  
"That's…" Derek stared at the ceiling. "You can't say things like that in public."  
"I'm not. We were about to have sex and you made a cute face. I laughed and now you're pissed because I called you adorable."  
Now Derek sighed, grabbed Stiles' wrist and pulled him half on top of himself, He buried his hands in Stiles' hair. "Let's just sleep. I'm tired." He pulled his mate closer and the teen wriggled around a little to get comfortable. "Night, Sourwolf." Stiles mumbled and already drifted off slowly, while the werewolf massaged his scalp with gentle fingers.


	4. Chapter 4

"Are you still mad at me?"  
The werewolf groaned lowly, when Stiles voice roused him fully, his fingers were dancing lightly across his bare stomach. He growled as the fingers tickled his side and opened his eyes. "No." Derek's voice was raspy from sleep. "It's early."  
"Yeah."  
"Since when are you up before eight?" The wolf stretched, then wrapped himself around the teen.  
"Couldn't sleep."  
"Because of yesterday?"  
"Maybe…" Stiles mumbled into his shoulder.  
"Wanna come to the gym with me?"  
He groaned, but nodded. "I'll swim a few laps, so I won't embarrass myself in front of all the alphas."  
Derek neglected to mention that some of those swam in the mornings, too. No need to deter his mate, if he was willing to put a little workout in.  
The alpha pecked the boys lips goodbye where he went right to the workout area and Stiles went left to the indoor pool. Half an hour later Stiles had had enough of the water, every so often his thoughts drifted to the pool incident with the kanima. He shook the water from his head and pulled himself out of the water to sit on the edge for a moment. There were several other people in the pool now, that he didn't really register coming, while he was swimming. He recognized one or two of them, but the chlorine made it impossible to actually catch a distinct scent. Lost in his thoughts he didn't notice someone approaching him, startled at the unexpected hand on his shoulder and promptly grabbed it to throw the person attached over himself into the water with a big splash. Two of the swimmers nearby came to a sudden stop to look up and Stiles had jumped up to a stand. The man he had thrown emerged splattering water all around him.  
"Sorry." Stiles whispered and stepped away from the edge of the pool.  
"Teaches me to startle you. Sorry about that." The man said with a smile. He heaved himself back out of the water.  
Stiles took another step back from, he was pretty sure, an alpha. The chemicals and water seriously screwed with his senses. He took a deep breath to calm himself and looked into the other man's eyes. The alpha mate wasn't even entirely sure he had met him before.  
"It's Jared."  
"Sorry." His heart was still racing, hammering uncontrollably against his ribs. Stiles drew back some more. He reached back, aware that somewhere behind him would be the wall, but instead his hand was gently taken. Still on edge he yanked it back.  
"Stiles." Derek stared at him incredulously.  
"Sorry." His gaze jumped between the two alphas a couple of times.  
"Hey." He took a tentative step towards his mate and reached out again. "Hey." He repeated softly.  
"I just touched him." The other alpha's gaze jerked to him and Jared realized how that sounded. "His shoulder, to get his attention. I…" The new alpha was at a loss, how to rectify the situation with an increasingly angry looking Derek Hale.  
"He startled me, that's all." Stiles finally had calmed down and found his speech again. This time he reached out to touch his mate's arm. Derek absently handed Stiles his towel and looked back at Jared.  
"I wanted to thank you for helping Mindy."  
"Katharine was there, too."  
"But you didn't turn her away. She told me how you responded to the other human mates, how you treated them."  
"How I treated them?" Stiles was incredulous, but didn't raise his voice.  
"You dismissed them."  
"Yeah, because they think they're something special and thought it would look good, if I was with them. They are content to be weak."  
"It's my fault. I discouraged Mindy from being around the wolves. She didn't think she could ask one of them for help." Jared sighed. "Thank you."  
The human's eyes went wide and he looked at Derek for a moment, then back to the other alpha. "What?"  
"Thank you for helping Mindy."  
"I…uh…you're welcome?" Stiles still moved closer to his mate, only an inch left between them.  
"Again, I'm sorry I startled you."  
"s'okay. I was distracted."  
After that they went back to their room and Jared went back into the pool, this time voluntarily. Derek pulled the younger man close with one arm around his shoulders and kissed his temple.  
"That went rather well." He whispered into Stiles' ear, when they entered the elevator.  
"Yeah. Why did he thank me, though?" He rubbed his face against the side of Derek's head.  
"You helped. You did good, babe."  
"Probably could have done without the throwing…"  
"Good reflexes are important." Derek tried to lighten the mood.  
Stiles took it. "I had a good teacher." He smiled at his mate and opened the door to their room.  
"I don't know about you, but I need a shower." Derek said, shedding his clothes going to the bathroom and turning on the water. He didn't have to wait long for his mate to step under the spray with him.  
After their breakfast Stiles threw himself onto the bed.  
"Are you doing anything today?" The werewolf asked before he had to leave.  
"I don't know. I think I'll go to the pool for a bit. Maybe ask Katharine, if they want to do something in the afternoon."  
"Have fun." Derek pressed a short kiss to his lips and left.  
In the end Stiles didn't go downstairs, he fell asleep on top of the covers and slept until noon. Katharine had texted him that she would go to a nearby park after lunch and asked if he wanted to come. He agreed and dragged himself out of bed into the bathroom to sort his unruly hair.

"You look tired."  
"Thanks." Stiles answered the woman flatly. They were watching Jason play in the sandbox.  
"I didn't mean it like that."  
"I know." He appeased her. "It's a lot to take in. God, I just want to go home."  
The werewolf chuckled. "You're right up there with my son. He'd much rather be home, too."  
"But he's a child. It doesn't matter for him. If I screw up, it could affect the whole pack."  
"Don't be so dramatic. There is not much you can do to seriously impact any pack relations, other than forming new friendships, which Derek hasn't been all that good at so far."  
"That one, I know." A half grin flashed across his face. "He did leave a not negative impression on you guys, Connor at least. Were you with him for the last few meets Derek attended?"  
"No, I stayed home with Jason. It was too early for him to be introduced and not very important that I be there, since we've been mated for six years now. I went the last time, before I got pregnant."  
"Derek was still in New York then." Stiles mused distractedly.  
"I still met up with Laura every now and then after the fire, but I never met Derek before we visited you in Beacon Hills."  
"Why did you come?"  
"What do you mean?" Katharine narrowed her eyes at him.  
"You didn't know me or Derek, Derek can't have left a very good impression on Connor, but you still came."  
"You left a good impression and Connor did notice the change in Derek since you got together." She looked at her son, to make sure he was still okay. "Connor saw Derek's potential to become a great alpha and you are attributing so much to that end. He would have never gotten where he is right now, without you."  
Stiles blushed slightly. "You're giving me too much credit."  
"I don't think so. According to Connor he practically didn't talk to anybody the first two times he was invited."  
"He isn't good with people." The human said hesitantly.  
"But he got better."  
"Yeah, well. It's not like he can't learn. That has nothing to do with me."  
"From what I've seen, you stabilize the pack, especially your mate."  
"He needs it." Stiles let his gaze wander over the playground and linger on the small werewolf. "So do I. Maybe even more."  
"You balance each other. So do Connor and I."  
That brought Stiles eyes' back to her face, but he didn't say anything just stared at her. A moment later Jason came to them, effectively breaking the tension. The young man caressed the little boy's face and lifted him up onto his lap, pulling him close.  
"You okay?" Katharine eyed him cuddling her son a little warily.  
"Fine." He murmured into the child's hair.  
"You need some serious cheering up. How do you feel about ice cream?" Stiles didn't move, but her son perked up at the mention of ice cream. "Tell you what, you hold onto my little wolf here and I go get us some sweets." The human simply nodded, holding on a little tighter to the toddler. "Okay."  
Katharine came back fifteen minutes later to Jason sitting on Stiles legs facing him. Stiles was holding his hands and bouncing him up and down gently, until the small werewolf spotted his mother and laughed looking at her.  
"Come on Jason, sit down beside Stiles so you can eat your ice cream."  
Stiles lifted the boy and put him between himself and his mother, who handed him his cone and one to the human, before she sat down with her own.  
"So what are the plans?" The woman asked out of the blue when Jason had run off again after eating.  
Stiles was startled by the question and stared at her confused. "For what?"  
"Your immediate future?"  
The young man smiled faintly. "You mean beside getting married?" She nodded. "Ambushing my father with the fact that I'm permanently moving in with Derek and out of our house."  
"I figure he's expecting that one?"  
"Sure, but he'll ignore it, until it's actually happening."  
"And after the wedding?"  
"If we can manage, a short honeymoon, before I move into the dorms at Stanford."  
"So you got in. Congratulations. Does that mean we'll see more of each other?"  
"I'd like that. If I'm welcome, that is."  
"Of course you are. You'll always be welcome at our place."  
"Thank you."  
Katharine laid a hand on his forearm, trying to soothe him. "Listen to me, if at any point you need something and you can't go home, come to us. It doesn't matter what."  
"You sure? I don't want to intrude." She nodded and he sighed. "I know it will be a huge adjustment for me to be so far away from my pack and I already freaked, when I looked at the colleges and that was only two days."  
"Your bond is still fresh. It'll get easier to be away from Derek for awhile."  
"I hope so, because the way it is right now…"  
"I get it." Katharine smiled gently. "But it really should get easier, until you leave for college."  
Stiles sighed deeply and checked his watch. "We should probably get going. It's getting late."  
Katharine agreed, so they packed up and walked back to the hotel, Jason again in the middle holding onto their hands.

As soon as Stiles entered his room and closed the door, he was pinned against it and kissed fiercely. He instantly pressed back into the familiar body of his mate.  
"Missed you, too." The human breathed into Derek's mouth, before they quickly lost all their clothes.  
Stiles sighed into his mate's skin, when he curled up on his side. "Can you get us something to eat?" He murmured sleepily.  
"Yeah." Derek groaned and slipped out of bed. "What do you want?"  
"Food."  
"Real helpful, babe." The wolf gave the menu a short once over and picked up the phone to order. Twenty minutes later there was a knock and Derek threw the comforter over his mate to cover his still naked body and let the waiter in. He thanked and tipped the young man and inspected the food, which smelled delicious and should get his fiancé finally out of bed. Derek sat at the small table taking a bite of his fish, when Stiles draped himself over his shoulder. He nipped at Derek's neck a few times.  
"Eat your food, not me."  
"You are no fun."  
"Noted. Sit and eat."  
Stiles licked a broad stripe over Derek's neck and let go to sit on the other side of the table. He eyed the fish on his plate, different from his mate's, but also fish.  
"What's this?" The human looked over questioningly.  
"Variety."  
"Okay." The teen took a tentative bite and chewed carefully. After three bites Derek raised an eyebrow at him. "It's not bad." The other eyebrow joined the first. "Okay, it's really good and I like it."  
"Thought you would." The werewolf graced him with one of his beautiful but still rare smiles. Stiles treasured these private moments between them.  
"Tomorrow is only the brunch, right?"  
"Yeah."  
"So we have a little time, before we have to leave for the airport?"  
"A few hours. What do you want to do?"  
"Just a little additional sightseeing. This time with my beautiful fiancé. How does that sound?"  
"Sounds good, since I haven't seen much yet. Do you know when the Fletcher's leave?"  
"They're leaving a day later. Why?"  
"Maybe they want to come? If you don't object."  
"No. I did think this could be an us thing, but I would never object to them coming along."  
"Only, if you're sure."  
"Yes, Derek. If they don't have plans already, I would love for them to come."  
"Okay, I'll text Connor."  
After dinner Stiles fell back into bed and the wolf stroked his bare back. "I'm going to the gym for a bit."  
"Seriously, after all the awesome sex we had, you still have the energy to move excessively?"  
"Just half an hour. I'll be back before you know it."  
"Probably, because I'll be asleep."  
"See, you won't even miss me." Derek kissed his temple and left.  
"I always miss you." Stiles murmured into his pillow.

Derek was almost finished with his workout when Katharine Fletcher walked in and came up to him.  
"Hey Derek."  
The alpha looked up. "Hey. You have a good day?"  
"Yeah. Actually, about that…" The woman started, but cut herself off.  
Derek stopped what he was doing and furrowed his brows at her. "What happened?"  
"No. Nothing happened." She tried to appease him. "Stiles is still unsure about leaving for college."  
"He's reconsidering going?" The alpha's expressing went even darker.  
"No. No, sorry. Not at all. He doesn't know how to deal with the distance. He still has a hard time being away from you."  
"It'll get easier."  
"I told him that."  
"But?" The eyebrows of doom drew together even further.  
"Maybe you need to tell him. I don't want to overstep here, but Stiles still seems somewhat insecure."  
"He is not insecure." Derek admonished.  
"Not in general. Just about leaving."  
The man sighed deeply and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I'll talk to him." He whispered.  
"Listen, he won't be alone. Lydia is there and I already told Stiles, that he can also come to us, if he needs anything."  
"Thank you. You don't have to do that."  
"As far as I'm concerned, we are not just allies. We're friends, Derek."  
"Yeah, I still have a hard time with the concept."  
"Stiles mentioned something like that."  
He glanced at the clock above the door. "I better get back upstairs." Derek sighed again. "Thank you, Katharine."  
"We'd love to come tomorrow, by the way."  
A small smile graced the alpha's lips. "Good. We were hardly able to spend any time together."  
"Yeah, with you and Connor busy all day…" She smiled carefully. "But Stiles and I had time to catch up."  
"I'm glad he found a friend in you."  
"Me, too." Her smile grew bright. "Go. I won't be responsible for Stiles scolding you."  
Derek huffed at that. "Don't worry, he's most likely fast asleep."

And the young man was. Sleeping, curled up around Derek's pillow. The alpha kneeled beside him and stroked his back gently. "I would come with you, if I could." He whispered softly.  
Stiles sighed quietly. "I know. But you have the puppies to take care of. And you're starting a new job in September." He grabbed at his lover's hand. "I'll get better. I promise."  
"It'll be okay." Derek whispered and laid down along his mate's back, pressing in close. They both fell asleep in a matter of minutes and slept until well past nine in the morning with barely enough time to shower and already pack a few things before the brunch.

The brunch was a much less formal occasion than the first dinner and the atmosphere was mostly relaxed. Stiles hadn't seen much of the other human mates or Esther for that matter since the second day. He noticed some whispers with careful glances directed at him, but he didn't care. The teen had stood his ground and refused to take any bullshit just because he was young and new. He had a strong alpha, he was a good mate, with good betas. There was nothing he had to apologize for. He had just loaded his plate with pancakes, bacon, eggs and an amount of maple syrup that threatened to flow off his plate, if he tipped the balance, when someone sidled up beside him.  
"Good morning, Nicole."  
"Why would you do that?" She asked bluntly without greeting.  
"Do what?" He asked not looking at her, instead considering fresh fruit to top off his pancake mountain and deciding that he needed something healthy in his breakfast selection.  
"Ignoring the other humans like that."  
"Don't think you know me because I'm human. If I went for safe and comfortable I wouldn't be here." Stiles turned around and went back to his table. To Derek's side, who looked up at him, acknowledging his presence, while chewing his own food. He managed to set down his food without incident and lowered himself on his seat.  
As he was about to get a second plate, still contemplating the options, Nicole's mate stepped up to him.  
"Can I talk to you for a sec?"  
Stiles turned a little startled, too absorbed in his decision making process.  
"Oh, hey, Thomas. Sure."  
"Nicole is pretty upset."  
The teen narrowed his eyes at him. "Okay."  
"She thinks you should have been more with the human mates, while you were here."  
Stiles' features relaxed considerably. "What do you think? That I should hang out with people who openly disrespect me and pretty much tell me that they have prejudices?"  
"I'm sorry." The older man looked truly apologetic.  
"Don't apologize for her, if she can't see what she did and why I am not willing to put up with that." He sighed. "To some degree I get, why they stick together. What I don't get is, why they refuse to interact with other mates. They are isolating themselves in a community that lives on interaction. With your own pack and others. I won't do that."  
"I understand."  
"Do you?" Stiles raised his eyebrows. "Because some people here think I don't belong here. That Derek was just tired of being pressured into choosing a mate. And then he went and chose a human of all things."  
"I do understand the pressure and what comes with choosing a human for a mate."  
"Yeah, I guess you do. But I'm not content to be dependent on my mate. Or limit my interactions with other packs. So I will not do, what your mate thinks I should do in order for her to be comfortable."  
"Sorry I bothered you." Thomas nodded and made his way back to his table.  
Suddenly Stiles wasn't hungry anymore. He took a muffin back to the table anyway and scooted closer to Derek than he had been before. The alpha noticed, but only ran his hand down Stiles' thigh once, never interrupting his conversation with Jessica. The two had gotten reacquainted and Stiles had the notion it was good for his mate to interact with someone him and Laura had been close to.  
The event ended with a speech from Henry and all around goodbyes between the people who were close or had gotten closer over the duration of the conference. Derek and Stiles finished packing and met up with the Fletchers to go into the city. Jason bounced between the adults and was carried when he got tired. Far too soon they also had to say their farewells until they would see each other again and the wedding. Stiles hugged Katharine tightly and cuddled Jason for a few minutes, until Derek told him to let go and pulled him away, otherwise they would have miss their flight.

"Babe, you okay?" Derek asked, when they were seated on the plane.  
"Yeah." He turned his head to face the older man and gave him a small smile. "Yeah, just processing. Do you know why Nicole was so adamant about me spending time with the other human mates?"  
"I'm not sure. I only spoke briefly with Thomas and he told me that she was upset about you refusing their company but not why."  
Stiles sighed. "Doesn't matter. We're going home. And I seriously don't have the energy to stress about her warped ideas." He pushed his sneakers off and curled into Derek's side. "Naptime." The younger man snuffled into the wolf's shoulder and closed his eyes and only opened them again when the descent started and he had to buckle the seatbelt.

Finally back home the pack crowded the alpha pair and all but wagged their non-existent tails. Lydia hugged Stiles as soon as the werewolves had released him and tugged him into the kitchen. She put a small bowl of chili in front of him, which he ate gratefully. It was so incredibly late, but apparently the puppies had been certain they had wanted to wait for them.  
"Thank you."  
"Eat up and get some sleep." She turned to go upstairs just as Derek came back downstairs, after taking their luggage to their room. "Do you want some chili, too."  
"No, thank you. Any incidents while we were gone?"  
"Nothing apart from Erica's little pregnancy scare."  
"Thank you for taking care of them."  
"No problem. Have a good night."  
Lydia went upstairs and as soon as Stiles had finished eating they went to bed as well.


End file.
